ADHD Inattentive - diagnosis? strategies? experience? any advice?

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I am wondering whether DD has ADHD, specifically the inattentive kind. This was suggested a while back by a good friend whose daughter has ADHD, and I'm starting to think it's true. I did an online questionnaire on an ADHD site, and she scored true for every statement on the inattentive part, but nothing on the active/fidgety questions. She also fits to a t the description of a visually distractible child. And this summer holidays things seem to have got much much worse.

But is this something that can or will get diagnosed much over here? And were it to be diagnosed, would there be any help that would make it worth getting a diagnosis in the first place? Or are there any simple techniques that we can try at home to make things work better for her? Any help, thoughts or advice much appreciated.

FWIW she has been seen by two Eps for other things, and nothing has been said (although her inability to start work and stay on track has been noted by many of her teachers). And she is coping OK in school - particularly now we have moved her to a smaller and quieter one - but I don't think is doing all she could do.

Yes it can be diagnosed here.. my DD1 was dx at 6 (school pushed for it) and went on ritalin, which helped hugely.. she took it til she was 14, then stopped for a couple of years..then went back on it at 18 and is still on it now at 22 (which is rare..she is under adult mental health services tho as other issues too)

DD1 is bright.. very bright, always was, but without the dx and subsequent support she would not have reached her potential as she has the attention span of a gnat..very inattentive, brain off in all directions.

However, she has had support, medication and is about to start her 5th year at medical school..where she has done fantastically well and will be a junior doctor in one more year. She doesn't need sleep and that has proved quite useful as a medic

Girls are often overlooked because they tend to me more innattentive than displaying 'difficult' behaviour. DD1 was never aggressive but she did drive many teachers insane, because utterly restless, quicker than the rest of the class, she got bored very easily and liked to challenge the teachers a bit.

The best teachers were those who challenged her, allowed her to be restless but put her in a corner away from others (mostly to stop her being distracted and distracting others) Her A level chemistry teacher did admit he'd shut her in the cupboard for 5 mins just to give his ears a rest... ( he did love her to bits tho)

I found DD1 very hard work as a small child.. much harder than her 'more' disabled youngest brother, because she was always on the go, always so flightly but demanding.. but she has grown into an amazing young adult.. the quick brain and constant seeking stimulation and information has made her very successful.

SO yes.. I'd push for diagnosis!!!

She's 7, Poltergoose. And the diary advice is good, thank you. I'll start making some notes for the rest of the summer and then into school and see whether it looks like a pattern or not.

Medusa, that's really interesting, because DD is also very bright (hence the previous EP involvement as her last school didn't really know what to do with her). But she isn't anything like your DD; instead her brain will just switch off and she will read and daydream. So she is no trouble at all in school, but quite often doesn't finish, or even start the work. So it's hard to tease out what's potential ADHD-I, and what is her just not being that interested in the task she has been set.

Having said that, I was a lot like your description of your DD and with hindsight would almost certainly have been diagnosed with ADHD these days. I seemed, I think, to grow out of it at some point aged 10 or 11 - but then I'm not DD and that may or may not happen for her. I also grew up in the time when orange squash was a major food group and I think additives were a big part of it in my case - and when DD gets them she has to be scraped off the walls, and I think would easily get a diagnosis of standard ADHD if we fed her them daily .

Sorry, this is a bit of a ramble, but it helps to get it all down.

Oh yes.... I didn't believe in colourings an E numbers... til the day I had to take DD1 to the doctors... straight after party where she ahd eaten 4 bags of wotsits ... the memory still makes me shudder!!!!